“As a novelist, my favorite fictional conceit is simply to shove a lot of things into one character’s life. In the case of Jacinto, I made him experience virtually all of the anecdotes I’d read about or heard of—from all over Mexico and the American West.”
“And then it came to me that instead of writing a literary book about motherhood, I’d write a suspenseful book about motherhood”: Aimee Molloy talks about motherhood, the difference between writing fiction and nonfiction, and her debut novel, The Perfect Mother, out next week from HarperCollins.
“My slippery grasp of ‘standard’ English has opened the door to a greater willingness to bend and play with it”: Jessica Levine sits down with Anjali Mitter Duva to talk about writing Europe, being multilingual, and her new novel, Nothing Forgotten, out now from She Writes Press.
“Writing for me is about taking responsibility for the past while shining some light on our mutual humanity”: Elaine Neil Orr sits down with Roy Hoffman to talk the connections between West Africa and the American South, writing race, and her new novel, Swimming Between Worlds, out now from Berkley.
“My characters find ways to go on, even if they wind up in more trouble. They’re like plants that seek the light even if they have to twist themselves out of shape to find it:” Mary Ann McGuigan sits down with Jolene McIlwain to discuss the lines between stories and novels and YA and adult fiction, as well as Pieces, out from Bottom Dog Press.
From the Archives: Dana Kletter sits down to talk with famed fiction writer Allan Gurganus. Their conversation ranges from sexuality to southernness, from his affinity for the 19th century to how reading the work of fellow writers can be a shaping force in one’s fiction, and plenty more about teaching and the craft of writing.
“Memories can open up the idea for a story, but they can just as easily shut down the imaginative journey into it”: Brad Watson on process and craft in his work.
“Write that thing that is gnawing at your brain, exorcise that demon, and it will glow on the paper”: Michael A. Ferro, Frank Morelli, and R.J. Fox sit down to chat about rejection and success, the writing community, and their new and forthcoming books.
From the Archives: “I can only write if I have stolen something valuable that day”: Shawn Andrew Mitchell asks Jesse Ball about lies, dreams, and his novel Silence Once Begun.
“The fun part of writing for me is the inspiration and initial outpouring; the painful part is spending five hours paring away 250 words. It’s like sticking pins in my eyes”: Kim Magowan answers Michelle Ross’s questions about her path to fiction, her writing process, and Undoing, her debut collection, out next week from Moon City Press.
From the Archives: Charles Johnson is the author of numerous books, including the National Book Award-winning Middle Passage. Zachary Watterson, one of Johnson’s former students, spoke with his mentor in 2010 about the literary friendships that have influenced the author’s more than forty-year writing career.
“It took me writing these stories to understand that I’d been carrying rage with me, and what I’d done to suppress it even as I didn’t believe in suppressing it”: Danielle Lazarin talks with Lee Thomas about her debut collection, Back Talk.
